Saturday, August 14, 2010

Why haven't we talked about Wonder Woman's new costume yet? I give it thumbs down. The old costume is just too iconic to mess with very much. They are trying to make her look more contemporary, and less "pinup-like" which is the mistake. The original costume is timeless, and any super-hero as powerful as WW doesn't have to worry about looking silly in star-spangled hot pants. Click on the title to read the Washington Times article. They are re-doing her origin story too. I haven't read the comic but I like Gloria's Steinem's comments.

Remember the 1968 revamp of the character as a mod Emma Peel-type character?

They should watch Scott Pilgrim before they go too far down the path of making Wonder Woman "believable."The filmmaker should take a risk and give out a full blown alternate universe where Wonder Woman is a fit. Not fit her in our Universe. What's the worry? That we can't relate to her? Tell a good story and challenge the character. We'll care.

Hopefully Adam Hughes will never be forced to render Wonder Woman in the new togs. That would be a crime against humanity. Let's face it, WW isn't about empowering girls, she's always been a guilty pleasure for men. The man who created her was into bondage, after all. She's not nearly the tart she used to be, despite her statuesque appearance.

"At the end of the 1960s, under the guidance of Mike Sekowsky, Wonder Woman surrendered her powers in order to remain in Man's World rather than accompany her fellow Amazons to another dimension. Becoming a mod boutique owner, the powerless Diana Prince acquired a Chinese mentor named I Ching. Under I Ching's guidance, Diana learned martial arts and weapons skills and engaged in adventures that encompassed a variety of genres, from espionage to mythology."

"...Diana Prince acquired a Chinese mentor named I Ching. Under I Ching's guidance, Diana learned martial arts and weapons skills..."

She didn't need a new outfit--she needed a Korean mentor named...Tom Moon!

Is it me, or has WW never enjoyed a better design/interpretation than Alex Ross's? I'd always felt there was untapped potential in the character, and once I saw his version, I thought, "That's it!" The rare contemporary "re-definition" that works for me (no great comic-scholar am I, but I thought they did such a good job with the "middle-aged" big 3 in the DC/Ross stuff--Bat, Super, WW).

I like Alex Ross's design a LOT. In the hands of the right artist, WW is iconic and cool. Brian Bolland's WW covers were brilliant too. I'd have to say Adam Hughes, Alex Ross and Brian Bolland are my favorite WW artists, in no particular order and for different reasons. Her costume was fine. This is definitely a case of something not broken being fixed. I hope it goes over like a lead balloon so they'll change it back.